I can’t even begin to conceive of the howls of outrage if this were to be seriously proposed. At a time when the Electoral College is under attack for not being “democratic” I don’t see how this could get any traction. Anywhere.
Sad but true. We’re fortunate to still have the electoral college. I shudder to think what this country would be like without it.
The problem is that the true genius of our system of government, the checks and balances everywhere is not properly taught in our schools or properly understood by our citizenry. I think Ben Franklin said it best in regards to this subject. Democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding whats for dinner. Republicanism is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Anything that will give politicians more power, in this case state legislators, will be pursued, cheered and embraced. This would be good for our individual liberties. Traction? Hell, the state legislatures will grease the skids.
And your inference that the statists will howl and gnash their teeth is correct. They represent 20% or less of the population. So, yeh, it would take much work and we’d need to fight their over-sized megaphone represented by the propaganda press. But overall, I believe it’s a winner and a fait accompli once the general population is properly educated.
The 10th amendment movement is picking up steam in state legislatures all across the country. Now is the time to start pursuing this.
It took decades to repeal prohibition - not surprising given that the Founders deliberately instituted mechanisms that were slow and cumbersome.
I think it’s a great idea, and have from the time I first found out the original design the Constitution laid out for membership in the Senate. And if others think it would help at least in some degree to return the balance of power between the individual states and the feds, they should start laying the groundwork for a repeal movement now (primarily education at this point), because it will be a long march.
Boortz had recently suggested this too. It is worthy of consideration. I had thought of this idea several years ago; wiser heads than mine talked me out of it. Here’s why:
Now that Americans are able to be better informed than ever, this should be the decade when the 17th Amemendment BEGINS. The amendment is not bad, but it was indeed far ahead of its time.
Stepping in closer, to see particular trees rather than the entire forest, here are some particular examples:
1. To look at it in light of this particular month, consider how the Americans have global warming at the bottom of our priority list. Why? Information. First, the Oregon Petition. Then, the Climategate Scandal Cluster. Would state legislators choose a senator who thinks cutting edge? Heck no. Legislators would most likely select someone who moderates the issue.
2. The recent Free Speech Ruling. This is the truly remarkable tree in this 17th Amendment forest. Corporations are now empowered to get people even MORE informed. The reason for this is that people became rapidly well informed about GW Bush’s judicial appointments, and we didn’t settle for semi-Constitutionalists. After the Kelo Court, we demanded ‘Originalists or Bust’.
I think that BO’s ‘reverb’ speeches were a brilliant exception to the norm, especially when we had an orchestrated economic meltdown [in my opinion at least], and a weak moderate candidate [the kind of squish who state legislators would prefer].
3. The Mass. Race. People were not led by the nose because they are better informed.
Timing is important with ideas. I think repealing the 17th never looked worse.
It’s not a popular vote. The States can make this happen, which means state legislatures.
Multiple state legislatures are already pushing their 10th amendment rights. And remember, it’s 75% of the states, not 75% of the population. So while California might object, they get no more say than Wyoming, which would probably really like to have the feds not dumping on them anymore.
Still, I understand it won’t happen. But it isn’t an impossibility. Unfortunately, because it is clear the 17th amendment was one of the biggest mistakes ever made in this country, along with the wording of the 16th amendment which broke the covenant of “all taxes must be equally applied”.